The Skipper

The man on the left was in charge of a fishing boat in which we went

to the Farne Islands. He was giving the crew instructions as we were

about to sail. All comments welcome!

Hello Colin, the Farne Islands is a great trip. This is exemplary lighting and fascinating dof, with what I think must be a new toy. So, you finally bought the 70-200f4!

 

I like the way the man behind the captain is looking where the hand points, but the captain is concentrating on you as he directs. Dynamic in a peaceful way.

 

I look forward to seeing some more work with this great lens.

 

Best wishes P

Thanks Peter, yes a new toy! I think the captain guy must have spotted me pointing the camera at him and as the lens is big and white it caught his attention. I would have preferred the lens to be black to be less obvious but I must say the optical quality is very good.

 

We had a good trip out to the Farne Islands though the birds and seals were a bit too far away to get good results - plus the boat was rising and falling a lot most of the time.

Colin, good dof as the skipper's hand looks as though it is coming right out of the image. Good details and expression. Cheers, Sondra

Colin, that one is realy nice. I like his expression and hand with the finger... the boss giving orders..and the man behind him, his attentive expression.I like as well the tonal range, well cought.

 

Well, tell me please about your new toy( email if you can), as I'm thinking of bying that one or 2.8, or 100/400.. I didnot decide yet, tell me about your short experience, and the weight... Thanks Pnina

The tones and the DOF here really make the image because the eye is immediately drawn to the subject yet without making the other man unrecognizable. Nice work!

Colin,I am reading the comments,and learn from it.Entertaining,how You are using the new lens. Very good,how the men standing together with their expressions.if landscape or people, You are going the same direction,into the depths.

Pnina, I have emailed you more about the telephoto lens. It was not an easy decision as nothing was ideal. I would have preferred a f/2.8 aperture lens as I reckon this is the sort of thing i will use it for and the dof is important. But I ended up with the f/4 version as it is smaller and lighter. I reckon a compromise lens you take with you is better than the ideal lens left at home!

 

Lou Ann, yes I wanted a lens that could make a shallow dof for exactly this purpose. This was using a 1.4x teleconverter (which adds a stop)so the aperture was f/5.6.

 

Alix, thanks, this was on the boat trip like you did. I have not got any presentable bird shots from it so I had to make do with people shots.

 

 

I like this, love the man pointing and how the man in the background is part of the DOF. I am still learning about lens, but seems to me you did very good with the one you have.

Great shot, I feel engaged with them.

 

I think he is think....."whats he doing"

you go, guy, great to see you trying different things. i have a 70-200/2.8 sigma that weighs a ton and i don't take it around much as a result, so on balance good choice. (i need mine for indoor youth sports.) very nice tones on the skipper here in a tricky lighting situation. ideally the light behind and on the other would be darker to accent him, but you take what you can get in candid shots like this. i like the idea of a skipper pointing, directing, etc. wish the hand were more in focus though, as a question of personal taste. for what its worth, consider playing with croppings to give something a little unusual or to really accent the essential thing about the photo. here, i'd consider at least cropping down and pulling in a little tighter, because for me this is the most about the face of an assured commander of people, though not entirely. the guy taking orders in the background is certainly a good compliment. btw, when you can summarize a photo in such a short title, you know you've got something that works.

Paula, Denis, Ben - thanks.

 

Paula, I find it takes a while to get to know how each focal length works and how to get the best out of it. Still learning a lot on this one!

 

Denis, You are right!

 

Ben, I appreciate your detailed comment. (to me you are a Yoda of people photography. - or possibly Obi-Wan if you prefer :-). I know what you mean about getting closer and looking at the shots I took with it they tend to be at more of a distance than many of your shots. I shall have to try zooming in a bit more.

The Skipper's image is cool. I like your treatment,Colin.

Colin, thanks for all the information, It will help me in the future. Pnina

Colin , I like how his finger is aiming in one direction and his eyes another (or at least that's what it appears like to me). Certain looks like a man in control, only when I hear "Skipper" I think of Gilligan's Island.

Wasn't sure about the eye contact at first, but I guess it hints at his expertise, saying one thing and already thinking about something else. Absolutely love the angle between them, a classical V. Don't mind the DOF of the hand, his face is the important subject, but the rectangular shine on the background man's forehead is a bit distracting

Very nice documentary shot of two gents. I like the classic style and it sure looks good in B&W. The tight crop and poses suits me fine. I'm looking forward to several candid shots of people from your alert eye. Kind regards.

I really like the framing and the subjects looking in different directions. One looking straight at the photographer and one following the direction of the pointing hand. It makes the scene lively and interesting. In my opinion it would have been even better with some more DOF to get the second man a bit more in focus, but I guess the moment would have been gone had you started to fiddle with aperture settings. I like it anyway!